Adjustable fastening device



March 16, 1948. N. STAT HAM 2,437,765

.ADJU$TABLE.FASTENING DEVICE Filed March 17, 1945 NvE NTIOR IVOEL 5 TA THAN 2, all ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 16, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,437,765 ADJUSTABLE msrnnme nnvrcn Noel Statham, Greenwich, Conn. Application March 17, 1945, Serial No. 583,203 1 Claim. (01. 24206) My present invention relates to devices for adjustably fastening two articles together, or two pieces of the same article. Devices of similar function are described and claimed in certain prior patents of mine, as for example Re. 19,356 of October 30, 1934. Inthis type of fastener a slider attached to. one part to be fastened is movable along a flexible track which is attached to the second part to be fastened, and such slider is secured at any desired point on the track by means of a releasable clamping or locking member. In the devices of my prior patents. the track members are provided with stop elements of metal which cooperate with the clamping device on thelslider. I have found that for many purposes t ese stop devices may be eliminated and a simple ribbon or track provided of a plastic nature which may be gripped by the clamping device of the slider and a satisfactory union had between the parts to be attached. One advantage of such an arrangement is that the plastic ribbon forming the track may be attached directly, as by sewing, to the part, as for example a garment or other article; whereas my prior devices require that the track comprised of the stop elements be attached to a tape, which in turn is sewn or otherwise aifixed to the part to e attached.

It is therefore a principal object of my inven-- tion to provide a simple plastic track securable to the work by stitching and desirably provided with cross corrugations to facilitate the action of the clamping member of the slider. It is also a further object to form the track by means of preferably impregnated fabric, e. g., a woven or braided strip or cord.

Further advantages of my invention and other objects thereof to be attained will be apparent from the following detailed description taken with the annexed drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged plan view of my improved track with slider attached;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 on a. still larger scale than Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional tion in which the track is formed of impregnated braided or woven fabric;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a track ing of a plastic-impregnated cord;

Fig. 6 is a cross section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. 1, my improved track consists of a ribbon ID of an appropriate plastic or semiplastic material, as for example Celluloid or any of Fig. 1

consistview of a modiflcaview thereof attached the 2 of the many Celluloid-like plastics, which will permit stitching of the material while having enough body or stiflness to withstand the gripping action of the slider. Among such other plastics as may be used are cellulose acetate,

acetals, ethyl cellupolyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl lose, various of the nylons, methyl methacrylates, and many others. In Fig. 1 the plastic ribbon or track I0 is shown secured to a fabric H by a central longitudinal line of stitching l2. Adapted to engage the track or ribbon I 0 is a slider denoted generally by I 5. Slider is comprises a body portion l6 of generally 0 shape cross section which by virtue of this shape-is adapted to be secured to track In by engaging beneath the same, as best shown in Fig. 3. To facilitate this, the track It) may be made of T shape cross section (Fig. 3). Said body portion l6 also has upstanding ears l'|l'l which support the clamp or locking element denoted generally by l8 (Fig; 2). Said element I8 comprises a tab portion IBa and a cam portion I 8b, and is further provided with trunnions l9-l9, Fig. 3, to engage apertures in the ears |1| 1. The ma-' terial forming said ears is taken from the body portion l6, thereby forming an aperture in said body portion denoted 20, Fig. 2, cam or locking portion l8b to come into contact with the track Ill. The body portion l6 also terminates in a loop 2| to which is adapted to be fabric 22 or other article to be joined, the tab 23 of such fabric passing through the loop and being fabric 22 by stitching 24.

Asmentioned above, the outer surface of the track I0 preferably is provided with indentations or corrugations having grooves as shown best in Figs. 1 and 2, whereby to enable the locking element l8b to engage a groove 25 of the corrugations.

A further feature of my invention consists in making the cam or locking element l8b with a groove or cutout portion 26 disposed centrally thereof whereby to avoid cutting the stitching l2. (See particularly Fig. 3.) A stop for the slider at the non-entrant end of the track It may be provided in the form of a button or other element 21, Fig. 1.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I show a track l0 formed of a braided cord preferably stiffened by being impregnated with a suitable plastic and secured to the work H' by a line of stitching I2. The track l0 so formed maybe engaged by a slider the same as in the case of track I 0. If desired the ends of the cord may be brought through and to enable the secured to the body of the 25 and.rlbs 25a,

under the worlr as shown in Fig. 5. It will be evident that the comparatively rough surface of the braided cord will .facilitate the gripping action of the slider.

In Fig. 4 an impregnated braid or woven tape Ilia has interposed between it and the work, a spacer element or tape 28 to' provide room for the portion l6 of the slider I 5.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that my device is useful in a wide variety oi applications, especially in the garment field and in pocketbooks, briei. cases and the like.

I claim:

A fastening and adjustment device for securement to two parts and for adiustably securing the two parts together, said device having a track consisting of an integral strip of flexible tapelike material for securement directly to one of said parts, and a slider for securement to the other of said parts, said slider engaging beneath the edges of said track and having its free edges spaced from one another to permit the direct securement oi the track along its longitudinal central portion, said slider heingmov'able along- NOEL BTATHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,838,463 Statham Dec. 29, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 358,434 Great Britain Oct. 2, 1931 

